1995-96 in Gregorian football
The 1995-96 season was the 17th season of professional association football in St. Gregory. The season is considered by many to be a changing of the guard for Gregorian football. It marked the first season without several notable players who had played during the SGFA's formative years in the 1980s, and also featured the debuts of some of the first-ever truly home-grown Gregorian players. Preseason * League B expanded from 8 to 10 teams. To facilitate this, no teams were relegated from League B the previous season. * Holland County F.C. were admitted to the SGFA as the 32nd member club and the 10th club in League C. SGFA Shield :Main article: 1995 SGFA Shield The 1995 SGFA Shield Match was played between defending League A champions, Zane Hills, and SGFA Cup winners, Bonneville United. The winning goal was scored by 18-year-old substitute Ty Fenwick, who became the youngest goalscorer in an SGFA Shield match, a record he still holds. Fenwick |goals2 = Painter |stadium = National Cricket Ground, Warner Bay}} League A :Main article: 1995-96 League A season # FC Chapman (1st title) # Zane Hills # Bonneville United # Midland International # Manorham # New Castle # Swifton Athletic # Banks City # CGC Red Stars # Helena Point Rangers # Starrs County (relegated to League B) # Little Rouge (relegated to League B) League B :Main article: 1995-96 League B season # Winston Beach (promoted to League A) # Forest United (promoted to League A) # Cape Wells Wanderers # Rivergate # Poolesville # Union Town # Helena United # Bay View # Crusaders (relegated to League C) # Armed Forces (relegated to League C) Notes: * Forest United became the second club to achieve promotions in back-to-back years, one year after Helena Point Rangers had become the first club to accomplish this feat. League C :Main article: 1995-96 League C season # Fort-de-Vert (promoted to League B) # Holland County (promoted to League B) # Don Bosco # Old Boys # Otway Town # Eventide # Calabria # Highlanders # Carina City # Eastport Strikers SGFA Cup :Main article: 1995-96 SGFA Cup For the first time, the SGFA Cup was contested by 32 professional clubs, eliminating the need for a first-round bye as had been used in previous years. Instead, the clubs that finished in positions 1 to 8 in League A in 1994-95 were given seeds and kept from facing each other in the first round. The rest of the draw, including the opponents for the seeded teams, was random. Seeds no longer applied after the first round. First Round (Home team listed in italics; seeded teams in bold) * Banks City def Manorham * Bonneville United def Armed Forces * Cape Wells Wanderers def Old Boys * CGC Red Stars def Little Rouge * Crusaders def Holland County * Don Bosco def Carina City * FC Chapman def Forest United * Fort-de-Vert def Bay View * Helena Point Rangers def Poolesville * Midland International def Rivergate * New Castle def Otway Town * Starrs County def Eventide * Swifton Athletic def Eastport Strikers * Union Town def Helena United * Winston Beach def Highlanders * Zane Hills def A.C. Calabria Second Round (Home team listed in italics) * Banks City def Midland International * Bonneville United def Fort-de-Vert * Cape Wells Wanderers def Helena Point Rangers * Don Bosco def Crusaders * FC Chapman def Starrs County * Swifton Athletic def New Castle * Winston Beach def Union Town * Zane Hills def CGC Red Stars Quarter-Finals (Home team listed in italics) * Banks City def Don Bosco * Zane Hills def Bonneville United * FC Chapman def Swifton Athletic * Cape Wells Wanderers def Winston Beach Semi-Finals (Neutral venue matches) * Banks City def Zane Hills (at Franklin Road) * FC Chapman def Cape Wells Wanderers (at Barry Park) 'Final' :Main article: 1996 SGFA Cup Final Where the SGFA Shield match at the beginning of the season marked the end for the old guard of Gregorian football, the 1996 SGFA Cup Final showcased two of the up-and-comers in the nation. FC Chapman were seeking their second Cup and also attempting to win the league and cup double for the first time, while Banks City were looking for the first trophy in their six-year history. Despite the lack of goals, the match was a free-flowing affair with numerous chances at either end, before Ben Hardy broke the deadlock nine minutes from time with a long shot from just outside the penalty area to win City's first-ever silverware. }} Category:Season pages Category:1995-96 in Gregorian football